Tamal Kundu
Created by Brigid Delaney and Benjamin Law from the 2017 novel ‘Wellmania: Misadventures in the Search for Wellness’ by Delaney, ‘Wellmania’ is a Netflix comedy series that revolves around Liv Healy (Celeste Barber), a New York-based journalist and food blogger, who lands her dream job of being a judge on a competitive cooking show. She returns to her home country of Australia for what she hopes will be a brief stay to celebrate her best friend’s 40th birthday.
However, Liv’s bag, containing, among other things, her green card, get stolen, and when she tries to get a new one, her application is rejected because of her unhealthy lifestyle. Now, she only has limited time to get back into shape and return to New York before she loses the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. As a comedy series, ‘Wellmania’ is an unconventional combination of slapstick and satire. If you have watched and loved it, here is a list of recommendations that you might also like.
7. Shrill (2019–2021)
Based on ‘Shrill: Notes from a Loud Woman by Lindy West and developed by West, Aidy Bryant, and Alexandra Rushfield, ‘Shrill’ tells the story of an overweight woman named Annie Easton (Bryant) who desperately wants to improve her life. Although she is confident about her weight and her perception of the world around her, she gradually realizes how biased the world can be. Despite this, Annie remains steadfastly determined to achieve her goals in her own way and return to her adoptive home. Like Liv, Aidy is a journalist. Moreover, both shows offer a candid depiction of the industry that has sprouted around the people deemed overweight.
6. And Just Like That… (2021- )
A revival and sequel of the HBO television series ‘Sex and the City,’ ‘And Just Like That…’ is set about 11 years after the events of ‘Sex and the City 2,’ and follows Carrie, Charlotte, and Miranda as they navigate life as women in their 50s. Samantha is noticeably absent from the group, which is explained by the statement that she moved to London after a falling out with Carrie. At the start of the series, Carrie is still married to John “Big” Preston, but soon tragedy strikes, and John dies of a heart attack, forcing Carrie to encounter a new set of challenges. Aspects of Liv’s life in ‘Wellmania’ while in New York resemble Carrie’s old life. Both women face unforeseen situations because of things out of their control.
5. I Hate Suzie (2020- )
The premise of ‘I Hate Suzie’ is considerably darker than ‘Wellmania,’ but it is still very much a comedy, and its main character, Suzie (Billie Piper), shares traits with Liv. Both women possess this thrill-seeking, self-sabotaging aspect to their personalities that often end up being the root of their problems. In ‘I Hate Suzie,’ the eponymous character is an erstwhile teen pop star whose seemingly peaceful life is interrupted after someone hacks her phone and releases her compromising photos on social media. As Suzie tries to weather the storm with her husband and their deaf son Frank, her manager Naomi desperately attempts to salvage her client’s career.
4. Big Shot (2021–2022)
Created by David E. Kelley, Dean Lorey, and Brad Garrett, ‘Big Shot’ tells the story of a basketball coach with anger issues, Marvyn Korn (John Stamos). After losing his job at the University of Wisconsin, Korn has little choice but to accept the offer to coach the Westbrook School for Girls team in San Diego, California. When Korn arrives in San Diego, he meets his boss, headmistress Sherilyn Thomas, and the good-natured assistant coach Holly Barrett, before being introduced to the girls he is supposed to train. While the setting of ‘Big Shot’ and ‘Wellmania’ vastly differ, they share the same chaotic core, and their main characters seem to be made out of the same mettle.
3. I May Destroy You (2020)
Created by and starring Michaela Coel, ‘I May Destroy You’ revolves around Arabella (Coel), who transforms her social media stardom into a successful literary career. Her first book, ‘Chronicles of a Fed-Up Millennial,’ was a big hit, leading her to be dubbed the icon of her generation. However, Arabella finds herself struggling with her second book. When she wakes up one morning with little memory of what happened to her, she enlists the help of her friends. Like Liv and several other characters mentioned in this list, Arabella embodies chaos, leading a life that is too fast and too erratic.
2. Fleabag (2016–2019)
Created by and starring another incredibly talented female English comedian, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, BBC/Amazon Studio’s ‘Fleabag’ can trace its origin to Waller-Bridge’s one-woman play of the same name that she performed at the 2013 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The plot revolves around the unnamed protagonist (though she is known as Fleabag by the audience) as she navigates life, love, and one awkward situation after another in modern London. In more ways than one, Fleabag is the blueprint that inspired the development of the likes of Liv, Arabella, and Suzie.
1. The Bear (2022- )
Cooking plays a vital role in the narrative of both ‘Wellmania’ and ‘The Bear.’ Jeremy Allen White portrays Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto, a young and talented chef in New York City. Carmy is forced to leave his promising career in the Big Apple behind and return to his hometown of Chicago following the suicide of his older brother and take over the restaurant he left behind. Carmy quickly realizes that it will be an uphill battle because not only the restaurant’s financial situation is dire, but also the staff is highly unprofessional.
